Chapter 608
See for yourself? Did Verchiel mean-
"You mean read her mind?" Katelina asked. "While she's asleep? Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"
"All mind reading is."
He had a point. Besides, if she could see what was going on in her head, she might get some answers. The trouble was she'd only been able to read minds by making eye contact. Her mother's eyes were closed.
"You don't need to stare into their eyes," Verchiel whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "You're using it as a crutch. Pretend you can see them, if it makes you feel better."
She looked into her mother's face and imagined her eyes. The same blue as hers, except for a tiny dark speck in the right iris. As a child that fascinated her. Her mother had laughingly told her it was an "eye freckle". She still remembered it. They'd been standing in the yellow and green kitchen, her mother at the sink, and she on her way to watch cartoons.
Suddenly she could see it. The knickknacks on the shelves. The crocheted pot holders on the wall. The fruit-shaped magnets on the refrigerator. She felt a rush of warm amusement, and looked down to see a child in front of her. Long blonde hair was in braids. A teddy bear was clutched in one hand, a plastic glass in the other.
"Why don't I have an eye freckle?" the little girl asked.
"Not everyone has freckles in the same place," she said in a voice that wasn't hers. "You have one on your elbow, but I don't." She showed her bare elbow. "If everyone was exactly alike, the world would be pretty boring, don't you think?"
The child looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Yeah." When a TV jingle floated in from the next room, the kid dashed away.
She turned back to the sink of dishes. Katelina had her eyes, but her father's curious nature. If only Randy was still alive to see her
Katelina recoiled from the crushing heartbreak. She didn't want misery. She wanted something happy. Something- She was transported to her mother's front porch. Two crooked jack-o-lanterns grinned at her, firelight flickering behind triangular eyes. A bowl of candy sat on the top step with a sign that said Take one. She couldn't hand out candy if she was taking the girls trick or treating, but she still wanted the neighborhood kids to get a treat.
The girls stood on the sidewalk, whispering excited childhood secrets. One had braided blonde hair and a homemade pirate costume; a white ruffled shirt, and red skirt complete with belt. Though Kately wanted one of the cheap plastic outfitslittle more than a vinyl hospital gown and a plastic maskshe thought this was a thousand times better. It was real, and one of a kind. No one else would be dressed to match her.
The other girl had a bush of curly hair and a borrowed dress. Construction paper wings were speckled with glitter and held together with wire. It was the best she'd been able to do on short notice. Stupidly, she'd assumed Sarah's parents would take care of their child. Then, last night, Kately told her Sarah was skipping school because she didn't have a costume for the march. She didn't mind doing something, she just wished she'd had more notice. Next year, she'd just start out with the idea that Sarah needed a costume. With enough time, Kately and Sarah could even coordinate.
Her thoughts trailed off as a father approached with his children. The kids descended on the bowl, while he nodded to the girls. "What are you?"
"A pirate princess," Katelina muttered.
Sarah beamed and did a little spin. "I am a fairy."
"You both look very pretty." The guy corralled his children, forced them to say thank you, and headed off to hit the next house.
Patricia smiled to herself. At nine years old, there were only a few years of trick or treating left. Time goes too fast.
The scene disappeared. Katelina dropped back into the hospital room. It took her a moment to orient herself, to adjust to the warm, sweet feeling. Her mother's feeling. Was that what she was dreaming about?
"No." Verchiel leaned close again. "She was dreaming about a picnic a moment ago, though it's turned into a trip on an airplane." Katelina felt his scrutiny, though she refused to look at him. "You were in her memories, in one she's probably forgotten about. You shouldn't do that."
"That's what I hear."
They stared at one another in silence, until Des asked, "Are we done here?"
Katelina wanted to go look for Sarah, but- "If she dies while we're gone, I'd never forgive myself." Her eyes stung with tears. "If she dies alone-"
"She's not alone." Verchiel laid a hand on her shoulder. "If she dies in her sleep, alone or with company, she won't know the difference. But if you want to stay, stay. No one's making you leave."
Katelina wiped savagely at her eyes. "Thank you, but there's not much point. I honestly don't think she's going to wake up. It's pointless for all three of us to sit here when we could be finding Sarah and Estrilda."
"Right." Des stepped closer. "That's supposed to be our top priority."
"It's not mine," Verchiel said sharply. There was a warning in his tone not to pressure her. She appreciated it, but he didn't need to worry. She wasn't willing to go because of Des. It was because she couldn't stand to look at her mother like this, to face what Jorick called inevitable.
"It's okay. But before we go-" She trailed off to look toward the bed and the neighbor she knew was listening. God, how could she say she wanted give her mother a little blood? Sure, it would create a weird tie with whoever the vampire was, but if it was her-didn't her mother already have a tie with her? Could it really complicate anything? And it might mean the difference between her recovering and not. If only she could get it to her without anyone seeing.
Verchiel seemed to misunderstand. "Right. We should say a prayer."
"A prayer?" Des asked. "Are you serious? Our kind"
Verchiel coughed and motioned Des to the door. "If it bothers you, you can wait in the hall."
Des' confusion doubled and Verchiel mouthed, "Go stand guard."
He shrugged, then did as instructed, pausing at the door to say he'd see them when they were done.
When he was gone, Verchiel mouthed, "go on," then moved to stand between her and the neighbor's bed. With a wink, he started a prayer in low semi-dramatic tones. It felt fake, but she realized it was just to keep their neighbor's eavesdropping ears busy.
Katelina didn't know how much blood to give her mom. She didn't want to turn her she really would be the world's worst vampire; the kind who'd wear glitter and want to keep her job. But, if she didn't give her enough, it wouldn't do anything.
She glanced to Verchiel for a sign, but he only motioned her impatiently. With a "whatever" shrug, she bit her arm. The pain came, quick and sharp. She let go instinctively. The wound wasn't as deep as she planned, but at least she was bleeding.
She shoved her mother's oxygen mask aside and her arm between her mother's lips. Unlike vampires she'd given blood to before, her mother didn't stir, didn't clamp on, didn't pull the blood into her mouth on her own.
"Fuck."
"It's harder than you'd think," Verchiel mumbled, before raising his voice again in an eloquent speech about the Lord giving.
Katelina pressed harder, paranoid attention moving to the door and back again. "Come on, Mom."
The woman didn't react. Katelina shoved until the front of her mother's teeth pressed into her skin.
The roommate coughed, as if to say "enough of the prayer thing". Afraid she'd call a nurse, Katelina surrendered.
She rolled down her sleeve and took in the results. Blood spotted her mother's lips, and shone red on her teeth. From the looks of it, it was unlikely more than a drop had gotten inside her mouth.
But it needs to.
Frantically, Katelina grabbed the pitcher of water and tried to pour it in her mother's mouth. Hopefully it would wash some of the blood down. Verchiel jerked it away from her before she could do more than splash it on her gown.
"You don't want her to choke," he whispered, then gave a loud, "Amen!"
Des' voice came at the door. Katelina managed to wipe away the blood and shove the mask back into place a moment before a Certified Nursing Assistant stepped through.
"Oh, hello." The CNA smiled and moved to their neighbor, pausing before the closed curtains. "I'm sorry, but you need to wrap your visit up. You're already past the nine o'clock curfew."
"Curfew?" Katelina asked sharply.
The CNA nodded. "They've instituted a curfew for everyone, nine p.m. to five a.m., unless you have a pass. I can sign something for you, but they're still going to harass you."
Katelina thought of the dark vehicles they'd passed in town, and of the barricade they'd driven through "Who are they?"
"Feds. FEMA. Homeland. You name it. Either way they have badges and the right to send you somewhere you'll never come home from, charges or not." The CNA shivered slightly. For a moment, Katelina was in another time and place, having a conversation not about human governments, but vampires. Maybe they weren't as different as she thought.
"They're everywhere," the CNA added in hushed tones. "A terrorist group took responsibility for this, but they didn't explain why. The feds are determined there was a sleeper cell. Imagine. A sleeper cell in nowhere Ohio! I don't think they'll be leaving anytime soon. It's only a matter of time before we have truckloads of soldiers showing up. The National Guard is already here. Mostly they've been helping with disaster relief, but I don't care. Those guns make me nervous."
"With good reason," Verchiel said. "But I'm sure everything will be fine." He nodded to Katelina. "We'll be going, though can I leave a number for you to call if anything changes with Mom's condition?"
Mom? Katelina tried not to choke.
"Oh! You're another son? I'm sorry, I, uh, I didn't realize." She looked away from his Asian features. Katelina could feel her embarrassment and discomfort.
"I married in." Verchiel produced a pen and scribbled the number on a paper towel. "Thanks a lot."
Katelina scowled, but the nurse smiled brightly. "No problem. You'd better be going. Stop at the desk and have them write something up for you."
"Thanks again."
